New ADASS president calls for social care plan

In his first speech as the new president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), Stephen Chandler reflected on the lessons of the last year.

He also called on the government to urgently set out its plans for the future of care and support and asked for everyone to come together to speak up for the change that we all know is needed.

He said: ‘As a society over the last twelve months we have all learnt so much about the difference high quality, compassionate care and support makes to millions of individuals and families’ lives every day.

‘We have also witnessed the devasting and disproportionate impact of the pandemic upon those of us with care and support needs, carers and those who provide care and support to others.

‘What we have learnt over the last year underlines that we cannot afford any further delays and we need the Government to publish its promised plans for future of care and support as a matter of urgency.

‘I want everyone with personal experience and who is passionate about care and support to come together, to be confident, to be ambitious, and to help us make the change happen.

‘Together we can ensure that all of us have access to the care and support we want for ourselves and our families, today and for years to come.’

This comes after ADASS, together with organisations speaking for more than 10m people who have care and support needs, called on ministers to break their silence on the future of social care.

The alliance is calling on the government to increase funding to ensure the continued provision of high-quality services and support, meet the continuing costs of Covid-19 and provide relief and respite for exhausted family carers and care workers.

It is also asking the government to commit to the publication of promised proposals to ‘fix the crisis in social care once and for all’ before the summer parliamentary recess.

This will give MPs the opportunity during the recess to hear from their constituents about the care and support they want for themselves and their families.

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